Whether bringing groups into the garden with innovative collections and displays or bringing the garden out into the community, botanical gardens today are essential.
Entering a botanical garden through a formal admission gate can, for many folks, feel intimidating or confusing, leading some to question whether they really belong or are welcomed there. But such reactions are the opposite of what most public gardens are aiming to achieve today. In fact, the contemporary garden embraces that term “public” by promoting itself as a community center, a learning venue and a sanctuary for reconnecting with nature.
All members of a community should be welcomed and encouraged to visit their local botanical garden, and that visitation should start at a very young age. Through discovery programs and children’s gardens, public gardens engage young people in the wonders of the plant world, sparking their curiosity while increasing their sense of caring for the environment. This is a critical role for gardens to play as the future health of our planet depends on young people learning to protect all living things.
The contemporary public garden is also a space for people to come together, for classes and tours, certainly, but also for the communal joy of seeing a diverse range of plants beautifully displayed. With over half our nation’s population now living in urban settings, the garden provides a threshold to a green world to explore with all our senses. Much research in recent years has confirmed that spending time in natural or landscaped settings provides great benefits for both our mental and physical health.
Botanical gardens are also convening centers to discuss weighty matters of local concern. When the garden is viewed by neighborhood residents as a neutral, nonjudgmental place to find solutions to pressing needs, it is truly fulfilling its mission as a community resource.
Not all of ways that gardens benefit their communities can take place within the garden walls. Increasingly, botanical gardens are reaching out beyond their gates to engage directly with the communities around them. These efforts may take the forms of neighborhood tree plantings, greening of abandoned lots, promotion of community gardens or improvements to rainwater management or flood resilience. Before initiating a particular approach, however, garden staff should hold meetings with respected local leaders to identify the greatest needs, what partnerships can be formed, what steps will be involved in the process and how the effort can best be sustained. Recommendations for carrying out such community actions are provided in greater detail in our book, “Public Gardens and Livable Cities.”
Every city and town should have a botanical garden they can call their own. The people of greater Charlottesville, who endured such hardships back in 2017, are fortunate that a truly public garden is rising for all to enjoy in the future. The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont was established in 2008 as a living classroom, a community gathering place and a sanctuary for the people of Charlottesville. Its mission is to “welcome all community members and visitors to engage in nature, to inspire learning through the beauty and importance of plants, to advance sustainability, and to promote human and environmental well-being.”
A rendering shows the planned Botanical Garden of the Piedmont in Charlottesville.
An exciting master plan is now in place and, even before the physical development of that plan commences, the garden is already living its mission. Over the past 18 months, it has hosted more than 200 events, reaching more than 7,000 people. They have also offered field trips to 350 local school children in recognition of the need to reach young people early before they become focused on technology.
About the Author:
Don Rakow is a retired associate professor from Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Science. He is the author of “Public Garden Management” and co-author of multiple published texts. For many years, he served as editorial adviser to the American Public Gardens Association and a frequent contributor to the magazine “Public Gardens.”